Islam gather for Sha'abaniya pilgrimage in Kerbala

An Iraqi policeman uses a bomb detector to search Shi'ite Muslim worshippers near the holy shrine of Imam Hussein during the preparations for the annual festival of Sha'abaniya pilgrimage in Kerbala, 80 km (50 miles) southwest of Baghdad, June 23, 2013. Sha'abaniya is a ritual marking the birth of Mohammed al-Mahdi, the 12th Shi'ite imam and a revered figure in Shi'ite Islam.[Photo/Agencies]